Basma bint Talal

Princess Basma’s "commitment to furthering the aims of the Jordanian National Population Commission (NPC) includes her continued support for the development and implementation of the National Population Programme, including Jordan’s first National Population Strategy. Participating in the international domain, Princess Basma became a member of the Board of Trustees of the United States-based Population Council in 1996.

"Since 1977, Princess Basma has served as Chairperson of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), a national non-governmental organization, that promotes sustainable development interventions within local communities through an extensive network of community development centres.

"In 1992, Princess Basma initiated the formation of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW). As the primary policy-making forum in Jordan for women’s issues and rights, the JNCW comprises senior government officials, representatives of public and private sector institutions, the women’s movements, as well as NGOs. While reviewing legislation, the JNCW has initiated amendments to a number of discriminatory laws regarding women. The JNCW aims to raise the profile of women both in national and local decision-making bodies. As Chairperson, Princess Basma worked with the JNCW to develop the first National Strategy for Women in 1993. She headed the official Jordanian delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995)." [1]